The present invention relates to a cannula protecting cover for an injector comprising a dosing section and a cannula support. Such injectors, also known in this technical field as “pens,” serve to administer medicines under the skin by injecting and enable precise dosing and easy handling when used repeatedly.
Known, frequently used pens use a dosing section in which the medicine dosage to be administered is accommodated and which comprises an operating means, for example a button, for triggering the injection. For each administering, a new cannula is attached to the dosing section, by means of a generally screw-on cannula support. In a simple version, a loose protective cap is then attached via the cannula, in order to protect the cannula from contamination or damage. The disadvantage of this simple embodiment is that such a cap, as an individual piece, can be very easily lost. Furthermore, it is disadvantageously possible that the cap can no longer be correctly fixed on the dosing section once it has been used repeatedly and can unexpectedly come loose from the dosing section. The then exposed cannula presents a danger of injury and infection.
An automatically latching needle protecting cap is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,577. This cap comprises a front portion which is provided circumferentially around the needle and has an open front facing wall. Once the front section has been rotated, it is unlatched and can be retracted against the bias of a spring in order to expose the cannula, as is necessary for administering the injection.
The disadvantage of this generic needle cover is again that the needle is still relatively unprotected in the initial state, since it is only protected from the sides by the front section. It is consequently still relatively greatly exposed to contamination and can in principle also still suffer mechanical damage.